JAKARTA (MKRI) — Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) Anwar Usman welcomed a delegation led by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Namibia Peter Shivute on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 in Jakarta. He expressed appreciation for their visit to the MKRI’s Pancasila and Constitution Education Center (Pusdik) in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java Province. He revealed that the center was established to introduce the Constitution to the people, to raise their constitutional awareness, and to instill in them the Pancasila ideology.
“In the future, we will provide the widest opportunities for the Supreme Court of Namibia to learn more about the practice of rule of law and human rights in Indonesia through cooperation between the two institutions in the future,” he said. He also stressed that the MKRI welcomes further discussions for any necessary follow-up.
Chief Justice Peter Shivute expressed his gratitude personally and on behalf of the delegation for the MKRI’s invitation to the International Constitutional Justice Forum (ICJF) and the celebration of the MKRI’s 20th anniversary. “Thank you for your hospitality since we arrived until today,” he said.
Chief Justice Shivute also congratulated the MKRI for its anniversary and said it was an honor to accept the invitation and visit Indonesia. “We are also impressed by the success of the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) Congress in Bali last year. I also appreciated the hospitality extended to us in Bali. Our meeting back then hopefully will also continue to the signing of a memorandum of understanding,” he said.
He added that Namibia has good diplomatic relations with Indonesia. “It has continued with judicial relations, so it left us no doubt when we received the MKRI’s invitation to attend [ICJF],” he said.
Visit to Pancasila and Constitution Education Center
Earlier on the same day, Executive Director of the Supreme Court of Namibia Benhardt Kukuri and his staff visited the Pancasila and Constitution Education Center in Bogor. They were welcomed by the Center’s head of the Program and Implementation Division Nanang Subekti.
He explained that the Center was established on an agreement by leaders of state institutions who saw the need for an institution to foster constitutional awareness and culture in society. As a constitutional judicial institution that had that exact mission, the MKRI had the initiative to then founded the Center.
Nanang also explained that to that end, the Center carries out programs for citizens. In 2023, it has been organizing workshops for national and local political parties, the KPU (General Elections Commission), the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), and other community groups ahead of the 2024 presidential, legislative, and regional head election. Its teaching method is interactive, where participants learn by doing.
The Pancasila and Constitution Education Center also organizes workshops and give out constitution awards for outstanding Pancasila and Civic Education (PPKn) teachers. Nanang stressed that the MKRI is not the Center’s target, the people are.
Executive Director Kukuri revealed that his delegation visited the Center because the Supreme Court of Namibia was planning to make a similar unit for the justices and staff members. However, he praised the Center’s concept and he stated that he planned on establishing a similar education and training center to educate the general public on human rights, constitutional rights, and democracy. He believes the Center is a result of excellent cooperation by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
He also expressed interest in knowing more about Pancasila and how it is instilled in the people. He revealed that the Preamble to the Constitution of Namibia emphasizes that Namibia believes in equality in law, social democracy, and other principles that promote human rights. He also said that Namibia had a history of Dutch colonialism, apartheid, and slavery.
Author : Ilham M.W.
Editor : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)
Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian versions, the Indonesian version will prevail.
August 9th, 2023 | 18:39:31 WIB